Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-05-28

"NAy, my son, they must go on. II they
stop here they win certainly die; and, beside,
they viii DO better IN the filters than on the
ground. by tonight, II all goes well, we
shall be across the marsh and In good air.
Come, Let us lift them into tho filters and
start, for II Is very bad 10 stand still in this
morning fog. Voc cat our morning meal
as we gop Nfs .il,H l1iaaHi ~
This we accordingly did, and with heavy
heart once more set out upon cur strange
journey. For tho first three hours oil went
as well as could be expected, and then an ac-
cident happened that nearly lost US the pleas
ure OF the company OF our venerable friend
Billali,who litter was leading tho cavalcade.
We were going through particularly dan
porous piece Of quagmlre, IN which the bearers
sometimes sunk up to their knees. Indeed, 1t
was a mystery to me how they contfived TO
carry the heavy filters at all over such ground
as that which wo were traversing, though the
two spare hands, as well as the four regular
ones, had OF course to put their shoulders TO
the pole. 1864
Presently, as we Numbered and Aoundered
along, there was a sharp cry, then storm Of
NAAAaAAAAeAOhof hAlli Adob VI dAg " ihylb Wv
nlendous splash, and the whole caravan halted.
| jumped out Of my litter and ran forward.
About twenty yards ahead was the edge of
one Of those sullOn peaty pools of which I
have spoken, the path We were following run
ming along the top of its bank, which ms IT
happened, was a steep one. Looking toward
this pool, to my horror saw that Billalfs
litter was floating on it, and as to Blllali him
self he was nowhere to be seen. To make
matters clear / may US well explain at once
what happened. Ono of Billali's bearers had
unfortunately trodden on basking snake,
which had bitten him in the leg, whereon he
had not unnaturally let 60 Of tho pole, and
then finding he was tumbling down the
bank grasped ut tho litter to save himself
The result Of this was what might have been
expected. The litter was pulled over the
edge OF tho bank, the bearers let 60 and tbs
whole thing, including Billali and the mar
who had been bitten, rolled into the Shiny
pool When got to the edge of the water
neither Of them was to be seen, and indeed
tho unfortunate bearer never was seen again
Either no struck his head against something
Or got wedged in tho mud, or possibly thu
snakebite palayzed him. At any rate, h
vanished. But though Billali was not to b'
seen his whereabouts was clear enough from
tho agitation of the floating litter, in tbs
! bearing cloth and curtains of which he wa
entangled.
HE is therel Our father is therep said ont
| Of the men; but he did not stir a finger Il
help him, nor did any of the others. The,
simply stood and stared at the water.
"Out Of the WY, you brutesl" / shouted II
English, and throwing of my hat, took
run and sprung well out into the horrid slim,
looking pool. A couple Of strokes took m
to where Billali was struggling beneath til
cloth.
Somehow, I don't quite know how, l man
| aged to push this free from him, and hi
venerable head, all covered ia green slime
like that of a yellowish Bacchus with w.
leaves, emerged from the surface of th
water. The rest was easy, for Billali was o.
eminently practical individual, and had th
common sense not to grasp hold Of mo a
drowning people often do, so got him by th
arm. and lowed him to the bank, through til
aud Of which we were with difficult
dragged. Such filthy spectacle as we pre-
sented have never seen before or since, an
it will perhaps give some idea OF the almos
superhuman dignity of Billali's appearance
when say that, coughing, half drowned, an
covered with mud and green slime as he we,
with his beautiful beard coming to drippin
point, like Chinamans freshly oiled pig tai
he still looked venerable and imposing
"Ye dogsln he said, addressing the bearer
as soon as he had sufficiently recovered
speak; rye left me, your father, TO drown
Had mot been for this stranger, my son th
Balloon, assi1redly I should have drowned
} Well, win remember IT. and he fixed thel
with his cleaning though slightly watery ey
in way saw they did not like, though the
! tried to appear sllkily Indifferent "As fc
thee, my son." the old man went on, turnin
toward me and grasping my hand, "rest q
sursd that am thy friend through good an
svn. Thou hast saved my life; perchance
day may come when shall save thine"
After that we cleaned ourselves as best "
} could, fished out the litter, and went Oh
minus the man who had been drowned.
don't know If it was owing to his being a
unpopular character. or from native indi
ference and selfishness OF temperament, but
am bound 10 say that nobody seemed
s grieve much over his sudden and final disal
pearance, unless, perhaps, it was tho me
who had to do his share Of the work